Life Ain't Always Fun & Games
by charmony
Summary: LW9 - A weekend designed to celebrate a marriage and the coming of new life takes a nasty turn when Aaron's radar tells him something might be wrong with Emily, leaving him dealing with a sick wife and a distressed son
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: As promised, Jack is back front and centre in this piece as I tackle the dinner. But this has turned into a piece with three chapters as drama ensues at the end of this one. Then we'll continue with the drama in the second chapter, before getting down and dirty with some fun filled mischief at a certain favourite lady's baby shower.**

**I have also been delighted to discover that there are lines I can put in the story in place of the 'New Section' that normally breaks up my story and so I am giving them a go to ensure a more seamless read. Hope you enjoy them as much as I think I will.**

**When you guys write such wonderful reviews, it makes me glad that I actually pressed into this series and squeezed so much out of it beyond the first few pieces. Thanks to the following for making it all so worth it; amyprentiss-Reid, Hazmatt, Danzjaron, sarahb2007, NicknHotchfan, HGRHfan35, Huntress79 (hello to you too), greengirl82, HPforever-after and (for Fulfilling A Little Boy's Wish and Fits, Giggles & Invitations).**

**This is Life's Wishes 9 and is filled with a lot of serious and just a bit of light and fluffy fun for the ending.**

Life Ain't Always Fun & Games - Chapter 1

Emily hummed softly to herself as she set out cutlery on the table. Jack was carefully moving glasses one by one from the sideboard to the table and Aaron was in the kitchen, singing along to the radio.

_I must remember to tell him not to audition for any singing shows. He really isn't very good at it._

She smiled as she took a short break to survey the table and see if she'd missed anything. And as always happened when one or both of her hands were free, she gently touched the miracle of the rounded skin of her growing tummy.

_I wonder if it's like this for all first time mothers?_

"Mummy?"

Turning her head, she smiled at Jack. He hadn't asked; he'd simply gone from calling her 'Emily' to calling her 'mummy' between one conversation and the next. And because he had been so casual about it, she'd swallowed her tears of happiness and had continued on as needed with the conversation they'd been having. Though the novelty of hearing him call her that had yet to wear off.

"Yes baby?"

"Do you need any more glasses?"

She did a swift count and nodded. "Just two more I think and then we need to put out the napkins. But first we'll need to fold them into some pretty shapes to make them look elegant."

"Why do they need to look elegant?"

_Always with the 'why'; I wonder if he'll ever grow out of it?_

"Because this is a special dinner to celebrate you, me and daddy getting married. And because that is special, everything surrounding it needs to be special too."

"Ah," he said, nodding wisely and going back for the last glass.

Several minutes later, they were seated on the ground in the living room, the napkins spread out in front of them, when the phone rang.

"Em, can you get that? I don't have any hands."

Jack looked alarmed and jumped up before racing out of the room as Emily called back an affirmative and reached for the phone.

_No doubt he's going to check that daddy's hands are still attached. Silly daddy._

"Hello?"

"Hey there Superwoman."

"Hey PG. Please tell me you aren't calling to cancel."

"Not at all. I'm just calling to see if you need us to bring anything."

Emily groaned. "Seriously, the answer hasn't changed from the first time you asked either of us, something like twenty times ago. No honey; we don't need you to bring anything with you. Just your gorgeous self and your good looking boyfriend."

_And here we go again..._

And sure enough, it took her five minutes to get off the phone. The only reason she kept her calm as she placed the phone back in the cradle was Jack sitting across from her, watching her intently.

"Did daddy have both of his hands when you got to the kitchen?"

Jack's eyes went wide as saucers. "How'd you know that was where I was going?"

Emily tapped the side of her head. "I'm psychic."

"Wow," he breathed.

_Note to self; this child is susceptible to everything I say. Must be careful with that. Wait, must remember to tell Aaron to remind me. Memory is like a sieve. I think JJ called it a baby brain. But maybe I'm getting confused with something else._

Realising she was frowning and Jack now watched her worriedly, she banished her thoughts and grinned.

"Right; are you ready to help me make some elegant napkins?"

At Jack's enthusiastic nod, she opened up the origami book to the page she'd marked that made swans. Explaining what origami was and then demonstrating how it worked was fun. Even more fun was helping Jack make his first ever creation and seeing the delight on his face when he realised that it looked just like hers. She helped him make a second swan, giving them three in total, before she leaned back against the couch to watch him work.

Her hands went back to her abdomen as she stifled a yawn. In the two weeks since the invitations to this dinner had gone out, she'd hit thirteen weeks pregnant, and with three babies growing inside the one small space, she was already feeling uncomfortable all the time. Not to mention that she was just tired all the time.

_And don't think I don't complain about that to Aaron all the time...though come to think of it, he looks so worried when he looks at me, so maybe I should stop complaining so he'll stop worrying. Hmm...food for thought...hmm, food..._

Half an hour later, she was half asleep when a familiar pair of lips caressed her own. She hummed her approval and pressed closer, deepening the kiss. He obliged for several long moments before pulling back and placing a light kiss on her forehead.

"Why don't you take a short nap now while you can?" Aaron murmured softly.

"I really shouldn't, but I just can't keep my eyes open."

He chuckled softly and assisted her to stand before he picked her up and strode from the room.

_Oh my..._

* * *

><p>"Uncle Dave's here!" Jack crowed happily as he scooted off the stool he was sitting on and bolted for the front door. Aaron walked quickly to the kitchen doorway to watch as Jack twisted the handle with both hands and threw it open with a happy shout.<p>

Dave scooped up his honorary 'nephew' and squished him in a hug that ended with his fingers searching for ticklish spots as the older man nodded to let Aaron know that all was in hand.

Relieved, Aaron returned to the kitchen and his cooking preparations. His intentions of having dinner out on time had been thrown off track by Emily's need for a nap; not having that extra set of hands to put to work had slowed everything done, not just the cooking. But he wouldn't have woken her to help him cook for the world. He knew how exhausted she was all the time, and now how uncomfortable carrying three growing babies inside her had become. He intended to sit down and talk to her about stepping back from work now instead of later as soon as this night was over.

_At least I will if she's still awake. Considering the chances of her being asleep by dessert are pretty high, maybe I should just resolve to have the conversation with her sometime tomorrow. Yes, tomorrow would definitely be better._

"Hey Hotch. Need any help?"

"Please. Where's Jack?"

"Gone to wake Emily."

"Shoot," he muttered. "Can you stir that for me?"

He didn't wait for the reply, bolting out of the room and hoping he caught Jack in time. He sighed heavily as he caught sight of the open bedroom door.

"Mummy, wake up. Uncle Dave's here. Wake up mummy."

"Jack," Aaron whispered, crouching down beside his son. "Dinner isn't ready yet. Let's let mummy sleep a bit longer alright?"

Jack frowned slightly, clearly not liking that idea. Aaron found he didn't have a choice.

"Aaron? What time is it?"

"It's early yet love. Dave's here, but dinner won't be ready for another half an hour. Do you want to sleep a little longer?"

Whatever her decision, her words were unintelligible as sleep pulled her back under. He smiled, pleased that she could sleep a bit longer, and scooped Jack up.

Once back out in the hall, he pulled the door closed behind him and grinned at his son.

"Jack, I have a _very_ important task for you. Do you think you can handle it?"

Jack shot him a happy, eager smile. "What is it daddy?"

* * *

><p>The rest of the their guests arrived around about the same time to find Dave and Jack lying on a blanket in the front yard and contemplating the sky as the sun set. Jack was chattering away while Dave kept the child occupied and though Aaron had needed the help, he'd wanted to keep Jack occupied, and therefore away from Emily, more.<p>

Jack bounced up with shouts of names and ran from one adult to another for hugs and kisses.

Dave watched all this as he folded up the blanket.

"You're all late, but considering dinner is also running late and the hostess is still sleeping, I'm sure no one will complain too much."

"Is Superwoman alright?" Penelope asked anxiously as she shifted some chocolates from one hand to the other.

"She's fine," Dave said easily, tweaking Jack's nose when he noted the child's worried look. "It's just the normal tiredness any woman carrying three babies will experience. I imagine now that everyone is here, Aaron will wake her and we'll get an hour or two of wakefulness from her before she falls asleep again."

"Well hopefully a little more than an hour or two Dave," Emily stated in a slightly husky voice as she appeared behind them.

Jack raced to give her a cuddle as everyone moved forward and offered some small gift or other. She shot them all an amused look and ushered everyone inside.

Dinner was ready five minutes later and Jack proudly announced the three course menu with only a little prompting from his parents. Everyone applauded and made themselves comfortable around the table as the entree was brought out.

The meal was filled with light and laughter, most of it caused by Jack and his joyousness in his new family arrangements. The announcement that the dinner was to celebrate the _three_ of them getting married generated quite a lot of conversation across the evening.

Aaron had been right though; Emily was sound asleep on his shoulder before they'd even reached dessert. Excusing himself, he took her up to bed before returning to host the rest of the evening. Then it was Jack's turn to fall asleep as the dessert plates were cleared and once he'd been put to bed, Aaron pulled out the alcohol and they all settled in the living room.

"So is Emily really alright?" Dave asked.

Aaron smiled softly as he thought of his wife. "She's fine; she'll just be more exhausted than most women because of the extra weight she's dealing with. She's only got another month at work before her maternity leave will need to start, but I'm hoping to convince her to finish up early since she sleeps most of the time as it is now."

"Jack will be thrilled to hear that," JJ said with a warm smile. "Having mummy around all the time will be a treat.

"That Jack will be thrilled I have no doubt, but I'm not leaving him here with a wife who is going to be sleeping most of the time. We'll need to look at getting a nanny anyway, so we might as well look at getting one for Jack now."

"When does he start school?" JJ asked.

"Not until after the Summer."

"What about Jess?" Derek queried.

Aaron shook his head. "It's too much to ask on top of her having Jack already when we're away on cases. She was wonderful after Haley died, but it's time now to look at other options. And it all feeds back in to the need to find some additional help anyway for once the babies are born.

"But now I'm changing the subject. The ladies are obviously here for the baby shower tomorrow. But I want to know if you guys want to come around as well and hang out with me in the backyard?"

"Aren't you disappearing for the day?"

He shot Reid a surprised look. "Are you kidding me? My wife is three months pregnant with triplets. If that wasn't enough, her age is a factor to be considered during this time. I already hate the knowledge that I will be away for a part of the pregnancy when cases come up; I'm not going anywhere tomorrow. I'm going to be close by, not hovering, but there if she needs me."

JJ and Penelope exchanged a look, but it was Dave who said it.

"It certainly sounds like hovering to me."

* * *

><p>Emily swayed slightly with exhaustion as she cast a satisfied look around the living area. Three hours of decorating had culminated in a room that was ready for an incredibly rowdy baby shower.<p>

"Mummy, look at me!"

Emily turned her head, allowing the wall to hold her upright, and only just avoided laughing.

_I wonder if there was any chocolate left for the fountain once he got done with it._

"Mmm, Jack looks like he's been helping himself to some yummy snacks."

Jack giggled and darted out of the room.

"Make sure you clean it all off!" Aaron called after his son as he stepped into the room. He turned to look at her, a grin on his face, but it quickly disappeared as he rushed to her side. "Emily?"

"I think you were right, about taking maternity leave earlier. I just can't do this anymore."

"Hey, don't cry. It's not the end of the world; you have time for a short nap before the guests arrive and I'm quite happy to be charming and entertaining to give you a little extra time. And if I'm not charming enough, I can set Jack the task to distract everyone just like I did yesterday with Dave."

The doorbell rang and Emily just started sobbing full out.

_I want to sleep and I can't sleep cause now there are people here and it's not fair and I hate this and I..._

"...hate you! I absolutely hate you for this!"

Aaron ignored the words and the hurt they caused, hearing the exhausted anguish underneath as he pressed her closer, trying to support her weight and comfort her at the same time.

A small, distressed sound in the doorway turned his head just as the doorbell rang again.

"Hey Jack," he said softly, holding out his arm to his son. Jack raced to his side and cuddled in close. Aaron hated that his son was distressed just by Emily's distress. And more than that at the moment, he hated that he couldn't just cancel the whole thing and tuck them all into bed for a comforting cuddle.

"Hello?"

Clearly Dave had gotten sick of waiting at the door.

"We're in the living room."

Dave appeared quickly and assessed the situation. He coaxed Jack to him and gave the little boy a reassuring cuddle as Aaron lifted his still sobbing wife into his arms.

"Why don't you put her to bed for an hour and join her; Jack and I will entertain everyone and I have no doubt all the ladies will understand completely once I've explained it."

"Actually, I'm worried enough about her that I'd rather just take her to the doctor. If I can get her in, can you look after Jack for me?"

"Of course I can. What more is there to worry about?"

Feeling Emily go still in his arms, he knew better than to share all.

"She wouldn't want me sharing the whole of it." She relaxed in his arms, her weight shifting and he knew she was sliding into sleep where she lay. "Listen, even if I can't get her in to the doctor, I'll probably take her to the hospital. Something about this is sending my instincts straight into the 'something's seriously wrong' zone and I don't want to leave it another day before I do something about it. Can you just call everyone to cancel the shower? Tell them that there isn't another date as yet, but for health reasons it just isn't feasible today. Oh, and call the guys and tell them not to come. Or maybe tell them to come if you want a bit of additional company and help with Jack. I don't really care at this stage."

Dave barely smothered a smile.

_He's rambling...it's almost cute if it weren't so worrisome._

"Aaron, don't worry about any of it. I'll call JJ and Garcia first and get them to come here. They helped with the planning, so one of them should have a complete guest list. And I'll let the guys come too and that way there'll be more people to distract Jack from worrying."

Aaron nodded and shifted Emily slightly in his arms. Her eyes fluttered briefly, then stilled and he felt his worry increase. Putting her to bed, he grabbed the phone and made a call and was startled at the discovery that Emily was on a shortlist of patients at the surgery the doctor would drop everything for.

"She's high risk in two categories; late-in-life pregnancy and multiple pregnancy. Trust me, we want the best for her as much as you do and that includes ensuring that someone is available to see her whenever either of you have any concerns, whether founded or not. Just bring her down here and as soon as your doctor has finished with his patient at that time, you'll be slipped straight in. And if it is something that this practice can't handle, you'll get an immediate emergency referral to the hospital."

Aaron disconnected the call a minute later feeling better knowing that a doctor was always available for them and annoyed that he hadn't known this fact. Looking at Emily sleeping on the bed beside him, he figured it would have been something she'd know about.

He shifted closer to her and gently brushed the hair from her face. The tracks of her tears were faintly visible to his sight and he hated that, even indirectly, he had caused them. For just a moment he thought of waking her up, but decided she could sleep a bit longer and he'd wake her at the clinic.

By the time he carried her down the stairs, the entire team had gathered.

"Oh, the poor darling. Hotch, don't worry about a thing. We'll get the shower cancelled in next to no time, the living area will be put back to rights quick-smart and our mini superhero will be well cared for. Just you worry about Superwoman; the rest will take care of itself."

"Thanks Garcia. In fact, thanks to all of you for caring enough to come anyway. I'm very grateful and I know Emily will be as well when she hears about it later."

He walked out the door to a chorus of well-wishes and hoped that everything would be as alright as Garcia had painted it to be.

_I couldn't bear to lose her now that I've found her. Please let everything be alright...please._

**End**

**A/N: So I know most of this series so far has been all light and fluffy and fun, but I'm struggling with fun at the moment, so you get something just a little bit more serious and besides that, a multiple pregnancy isn't completely fun and games. But I promise that the fun WILL return, just bear with me here a little bit longer.**

**Also please note that the next chapter may be a little slow in coming, but I will try to get it out to all of you as soon as I can.**

**Please review and let me know what you think with the conveniently placed button right below this request. **


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Okay, here I am back with chapter 2. I'm sorry to everyone who has been waiting so patiently for this next bit and I thank you for still being with me.**

**I would love to thank the following who have left me with such wonderful reviews despite the (temporary) turn this series has taken; greengirl82, sarahb2007, HGRHfan35, megameighteen (for stories 1, 6, 7 & 9a), CMGA, NicknHotchfan, HPforever-after, Hazmatt, melodic2686, , inheritancedrottningu (for story 6) and starryeyes12 (for stories 1, 2, & 3).**

**This is Life's Wishes 9 and is filled with a lot of serious and just a bit of light and fluffy fun for the ending.**

Life Ain't Always Fun & Games - Chapter 2

Aaron slouched in his chair feeling weary beyond words, yet utterly comforted as he listened to the near-hypnotic beeps of the various heart monitors attached to his wife. They were monitoring her heart rate after it had dropped dramatically while she was being examined at the clinic before being transferred here to the hospital and because her health affected that of their babies, there was a band wrapped around her abdomen that was picking up three incredibly rapid heartbeats, ensuring that all was well with his growing family.

He checked his watch and yawned. He knew he should head home, that Dave was probably exhausted looking after his distraught son, but he was struggling with his powerful desire to be in two places at once.

_Thank God for David Rossi. A better friend no man could find._

Thankfully he didn't really _need_ to worry about Emily anymore. After they arrived at the hospital, her low blood pressure had been stabilised and blood had been taken for tests. The results that had come back had alarmed him until it was all explained to him and only after they'd laid it out in layman's terms had he been able to draw a deep breath.

Gestational diabetes.

Two little words with such huge implications, yet he was assured that it wasn't something he truly needed to worry about because they could put plans in place to control the risks.

Emily's diet had already been restricted due to being pregnant. But that list had now changed to better help her body naturally control the glucose being produced. She would need to try to walk more often, as this would help her to control the glucose levels in her blood, though the doctor had assured him that he would ensure that she wasn't pushing herself too far for the safety of all concerned. When she was feeling better, they would teach her how to test her blood for how much glucose she had in her system and if they found that she was struggling too much with that control, there were shots of insulin that she could receive that wouldn't harm their babies.

They had stabilised her glucose levels and with a sleepy smile she'd told him she felt better and she loved him right before falling into a deep, healing sleep. And he'd stayed by her side, stepping out only long enough to call Dave to let him know the results and to speak to Jack, who had been tearful and anxious to know when he would be home and if he could stay up until he got there.

_I know I should have said no, but I didn't have the heart to. Hopefully he'll be asleep anyway, but I'm not holding my breath._

He sighed quietly, admitting finally that if he didn't go now, he might actually fall asleep before he made it home safely. And that wouldn't do with everyone counting on him as they did.

Easing forward out of the chair, he gently stroked Emily's hair back from her temple and kissed her gently. Placing his hands on her belly, he placed three soft kisses over the approximate positions of his children and then with a last look at his family, he slipped out of the room and walked down to the nurses' station.

"Hi Cindy."

"Hey Mr Hotchner. Are you heading home now?"

"I am. Will you page me if anything changes."

"At once, I promise. What time should we expect you?"

"Sometime after breakfast, so maybe 9? Am I able to bring my son in with me?"

"Of course you can. I have no doubt that it will help your wife to see him and for him to see that his mother is going to be alright. It's so hard at that age to have something like this happening; what seems large to us is often overwhelming for the child."

He agreed softly and bid her a good night before hitting the stairs in the hope that he would be more awake by the time he reached the ground floor. It didn't really work that well, but he focused on getting home and though he didn't remember the journey he somehow made it in one piece.

Dave met him at the door looking tired, but more alert than he felt.

"Aaron, my friend, you look like you could use a stiff drink."

"Is Jack still awake?"

"Barely."

He nodded. "Pour me that drink while I go say goodnight and then I'll be down to fill you in."

"Consider it poured."

* * *

><p>He eased the door open silently just in case Jack had just fallen asleep.<p>

_I shouldn't have bothered._

"Daddy?"

"Hey buddy," he said softly as he knelt beside the bed. "What are you still doing awake so late?"

"I wanted to make sure mummy was alright. Can I say goodnight to her too?"

"Not tonight buddy. They're keeping her at the hospital for a day or two to monitor how she is doing. They want to make sure that the babies are alright, and that so is mummy when she comes home."

Jack nodded and yawned hugely. "Okay daddy. Do I have to wait for mummy to come home before I can see her again?"

"No Jack; we'll go in to see her together in the morning after breakfast. Does that sound alright?"

"Mmm. Love you daddy."

_Be still my heart._

"I love you too Jack."

He tucked the blankets in tighter around his now sleeping son and watched him for a minute before leaving the room and heading for the promised drink. He found Dave sprawled on the living room couch. He mimicked the sprawl on the other couch and collected the drink Dave had left for him on the coffee table.

Taking a sniff of the tumbler before having a sip, he narrowed his eyes. "Is this my really good scotch?"

He shrugged carelessly. "So what if it is; after the day you've had, you've more than earned it. How's Emily?"

He took another sip and felt something tight in his gut unwind and relax. "According to the doctor she's going to be just fine. He's not sugar-coating the fact that it won't be as easy as it otherwise might have been; which I pointed out to him wasn't that easy in the first place; but it's doable and they'll all be fine. I did the right thing getting her there early etcetera, etcetera, etcetera."

"That's good. How much help is she going to need?"

"No more than she needs now. Everything they've said we need to do is actually a really easy list to adapt to and follow. She'll continue being tired, but it will be a far more manageable tired now."

"Glad to hear that."

"Mmm...how'd the girls go getting everything cancelled today?"

"No problems whatsoever. They got to everyone in time and you have over a dozen messages offering help should you need them. You also have three casseroles in the fridge to cover you and Jack over the next few days while Emily is in hospital."

"We have excellent friends. There were names attached to the dishes right? So that I can call them and tell them thanks?"

"Of course. JJ saw to that, as well as compiling a list of all those offers of help so that you could call and thank them as well. And I'm sure I don't need to add that the team is here and behind the three of you all the way?"

"Not at all. I deeply appreciate all of you, and in particular you at the moment for your help with Jack this afternoon. Knowing that I could concentrate on Emily and not have to worry about Jack helped more than I will ever be able to put into words."

Dave grunted in embarrassment and nodded as he finished his drink before getting to his feet with a yawn. "Stay there, finish your drink, then go to bed. You'll need your strength to deal with Jack in the morning. Oh, and don't let him forget the pictures he drew for Emily."

He murmured agreement, contemplating how sore he'd be if he slept where he sprawled. He smiled slightly as Emily's voice in his head scolded him.

_Only for you, my love, will I drag my exhausted butt up the stairs to bed when I could so easily sleep right here._

Ten minutes later, the house locked up and all lights off, he sprawled on his bed and was grateful that his exhaustion dragged him off to sleep before the thought had a chance to sink in that he was in the bed without the woman he loved by his side.

**End**

**A/N: Okay, I know there wasn't that much in the way of content here in this chapter, but I promise the next chapter shall be coming not only sooner than this one made it out, but it will also be back to our funky, cheerful storyline once again.**

**Thanks for sticking with me through the dreary parts; sunshine and laughter coming your way shortly. **

**Please review and let me know what you think with the conveniently placed button right below this request. **


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Yay! Rocky part is over and we know Emily's going to be alright. So now it's time to celebrate this fact with the baby shower of the century (okay, that's a bit of an exaggeration, but I'm going to try). I also know that you're all probably dying to know what the Hotchner's are having, but I'm afraid that since even I am in the dark about this fact, we'll have to wait until the birth.**

**You are all utterly wonderful and without you I would have given up this writing gig a long time ago. I am so thankful for all of you – Wtiger5, Hazmatt, HGRHfan35, HPforever-after, megameighteen, NicknHotchfan, CMGA, bhernandez02897, Daisyangel and greengirl82.**

**I totally couldn't do this without my amazing beta, medical guru and sister Wtiger5. Love you honey; thanks just doesn't cover it.**

**This is Life's Wishes 9 and is filled with a lot of serious and just a bit of light and fluffy fun for the ending.**

Life Ain't Always Fun & Games - Chapter 3

Emily watched the seemingly out-of-control chaos around her and smothered laughter. She knew they were doing it for her benefit and though it looked insane, she had a strong suspicion that everything had been very carefully coordinated in advance.

Two weeks after Aaron had rushed her to hospital in fear for her health, she was doing really well. Half of that owed to the fact that she'd been put on near-complete bed rest for the rest of the pregnancy; except for toilet breaks, or coming to sit down on the couch if she promised not to do anything too strenuous, she spent most of her days languishing in bed. And having Aaron around over the last couple of weeks had allowed her to catch up on a lot of sleep that she'd missed. The other half owed to the regular gentle exercise the doctor had prescribed and the changes in her diet. All of it combined to leave her feeling well and relaxed.

And then there was today. They had cancelled the baby shower without giving a new date. But considering she was coming up on 15 weeks, they had decided it was best to get the last big excitement out of the way so that she could focus on resting and growing healthy babies. Not that she hadn't been doing that for the last few weeks, but today was definitely not going to be restful for any of them.

So they called all the ladies that had been invited and told them today was the day. Then, shortly after waking this morning, JJ, Penelope and three of her other friends had turned up laden down with party foods and decorations. She personally suspected Aaron had called them while she was in the shower, but she'd let that slide. Her discovery a week ago that standing for more than a couple of minutes, except when she was in the shower, sent excruciating pain up and down her legs and back had vetoed having anything to do with the actual activity of the party. It was very much going to be a case of, 'you want to say hello to the hostess, you go to her'.

_And considering how uncomfortable I feel right now, they had _better_ come say hello._

She laughed as Jack wove rapidly around several of the women to land on the floor in front of her, before he shot her his trademark cutest grin.

"Hey little man. I just saw some amazing moves going on when you came in; just be careful to make sure you don't run into anyone. Alright?"

He nodded vigorously and placed his hands on her tummy as he shot her another smile.

"I'll be careful. Daddy wants to know if you want anything."

She smiled as she stroked a gentle hand against his cheek. "I'd love another bottle of water, a hug and a kiss. You can handle bringing me the water and daddy can do the rest."

"Okay," he said brightly, before jumping up, giving her a careful hug and a smacking kiss and then bolting out of the room with more weaving involved.

Her friend Suzie shook her head. "This is why my husband and I still don't have kids; they have way too much energy. Don't you just feel tired around him?"

She raised an eyebrow and stroked her distended abdomen at the same time and all the ladies laughed. It did spark a discussion on the pros and cons of children however that was turning into quite a debate when Aaron eased into the room and did a slower version of Jack's ducking and weaving to get to her side.

"Hey beautiful. How're you feeling?"

"I'm just fine at the moment. I haven't moved since I got down here, the cushions are in the best place possible courtesy of this drop-dead-gorgeous hunk of burning love I know and I want to kill my doctor. Other than that, I'm great."

Aaron was smothering laughter as his fingers trailed over her cheekbones. For their safety, her doctor had told her that activities in the bedroom needed to be restricted to sleep, cuddling and kissing. Nothing more extensive than that. This unfortunately didn't help her with the hormones raging in her body.

Aaron leaned in and wrapped his arms around her and with a soft sigh, she carefully snuggled in closer.

_You can stay...you can definitely stay..._

JJ turned from pinning up a poster on the wall and giggled softly. Aaron smiled.

"She's asleep, isn't she?"

JJ nodded. "Do you want me to grab a blanket?"

"Mmm, please. I'll give her another minute to go deeper before I lay her down. And would you mind grabbing her body pillow from the bed upstairs while you're up there?"

She left the room smiling and Penelope tipped her head to the side. "She _is_ alright though?"

"She's fine Pen, I promise. This is about the time of her morning nap, which will end about the time the guests start turning up. Do you need me to finish what Em was doing?"

Pen shook her head. "Nope. She'd almost finished anyway, so we'll finish that up and go hang out in the den for the next hour so she can sleep in peace. We didn't take as long as I thought we would here."

He nodded as JJ returned and a few minutes later, the only occupant of the living room was left to sleep in peace.

New Section

"I cannot believe you actually let me fall asleep," Emily muttered in annoyance as she exited the bathroom to find Aaron leaning against the wall opposite her. "And now I cannot believe you have the nerve to stand there looking all yummy when I can't play."

He shot her a slow, burning smile that turned her insides to mush and held out his hand. She was still muttering as she placed her hand in his and let him pull her into his arms. She didn't stop muttering until his mouth was firmly sealed to hers. Then she could only hum her pleasure as she melted into him.

He pulled back only when air became a necessity and smiled his satisfaction at the happy look on his wife's face.

"That fulfilled the last part of your request, you fell asleep during the hug, and your water is on the small table beside your throne for the day."

_Hmm..._

"You are far too good for me. You can stay."

He chuckled and secured her to his side as they walked slowly back towards the action in the living room. He helped her get settled again and after admonishing the room to take good care of his lady love, he escaped the estrogen-filled room for the testosterone-laden atmosphere in the backyard.

Emily watched Aaron go with narrowed eyes before smiling brightly at the room at large. "I'm just taking a moment to point out that I won't break."

Everyone laughed and relaxed and Pen came forward with several baskets that she placed on the low table in the centre of the room.

"Okay, now that everyone is here, we can get down to business. Our mamma-to-be here has already proven that regardless of what she wants, her body will nap to a schedule. This means we have just under two hours to throw her the very best shower possible."

Emily rolled her eyes. _Somebody's in trouble when I get my hands on him. I'll teach him for trying to curtail my fun._

"To this end, the table to the side of the room is packed full of yummy delights for everyone to eat. Help yourself across the next few hours. Drinks can be found on the table beside the food. Presents, if you haven't already noticed, go on the table in the kitchen and considering how many gifts there are, will _not_ be opened during this shower, but sometime after it." They all groaned good-naturedly, but settled pretty quickly as Penelope cleared her throat.

"Obviously we won't be playing heaps of games; don't want to deplete all of Emily's energy after all; but we are definitely going to have a few. The first one is a tried and true favourite and involves guessing how many jelly babies are in this jar." She held up a solid glass jar. "This will be going around with a notebook and pen and we want your name and your guess written down to be clearly legible. I don't actually know how many jelly babies are in here, as that task was given to JJ, who will judge the winner based on who gets closest to the right amount. The winner obviously scores the jar of goodies." She handed the jar, book and pen to JJ and picked up one of the baskets.

"This game is another favourite of baby showers everywhere. Each of you is going to be getting one of these lovely wool necklaces, beautifully tied together by the gorgeous Emily, along with six pegs. There are three words today that you must not say, but if you do, whoever you are talking with can take a peg off of you. Suzie will walk around with the basket now. As you take your necklace and pegs, commit these three words to memory; babies, names, both singular and plural, and Emily. The _only_ time you may use the name Emily in this room, is when you are talking to the woman herself, as she is not playing this particular game. However the other two words are outlawed, particularly since names have not yet been discussed to my knowledge. The winner at the end of the shower will get a prize.

"We are, of course, going to be having a competition to see who can guess Emily's tummy size to the closest inch. Prizes will be given out for the three who get the closest. We all get to play that one, because the father-to-be, currently hiding in the backyard, is the only one with the answer. A roll of yellow ribbon and a pair of scissors will make their way around and all you have to do is guess. And just so you know, the little mamma here is _not_ moving so you can see her in profile, so you'll just have to guess based on what you can see at the front.

"That's all for the games, but you should also note that there is a book in the kitchen where the presents are being collected where you can write little encouragements, anecdotes or advice to Emily and Aaron. If you've already written in it when you dropped your present off, that's great. If you haven't please take the time to do so before you leave. Now, before we begin, Emily wants to say something."

Emily looked around the room and smiled warmly. "First off, thank you everyone for being so easy-going with the abruptness of the cancellation and rescheduling of this shower. I know it messed up a couple of you and I really do appreciate that, as well as the obvious fact that here you all are again." They all laughed before she continued. "I also want to say a _huge_ thank you to everyone who helped us out in some way; from taking everything down last time, to putting it up this time, cooking the lovely food you all have to eat today, and especially for the meals you left for us when I collapsed. Aaron, Jack and I feel very privileged to have such wonderful friends and so I just wanted to pass that on to all of you on behalf of my family."

She nodded at Penelope as everyone applauded and she didn't hesitate to get the shower underway.

The plate that Aaron had clearly selected for her allowed her to be just the slightest bit naughty without the potential for doing any real harm and so she took her time and picked at it slowly as she conversed with everyone in a rolling fashion as they stopped to say hello and see how she was doing.

When she saw Aaron had arrived to hand over the bit of ribbon that was her actual waist measurement over an hour and a half later, she could have wept with gratitude at the clear fact that the party was almost over. Sitting up as she was, even though she was well supported by the cushions and pillows around her, was becoming painful and she was exhausted to the point of feeling a headache building. Her gratefulness over Aaron's suggestion to cut the party from three hours to two built with every second that passed as Pen walked around and measured everyone's ribbon. She was so intent on seeing how fast the other woman was managing to get around the room that she missed Aaron appearing in front of her until his hands cupped her face and drew her attention.

_Wow, I'm really out of it huh?_

"This is too much now, isn't it?" She nodded as a lone tear slipped down her cheek. He brushed it away gently and placed a tender kiss to her forehead as JJ magically appeared beside them. He turned his head slightly and murmured softly, "Can you start wrapping everything up now? She's in pain and exhausted."

"Absolutely. And honey, you should have said something sooner," she admonished gently as she passed her hand lightly over Emily's hair. She turned to the group and whistled sharply. "Everyone listen up; Emily is just about out of oomph for the day, so we will now be announcing the winners of the various competitions. If you haven't already had your ribbon compared to the one Penelope has, please make your way to her right now."

A minute later, Penelope and JJ had left to confer over the results and had returned promptly to announce the winners. Prizes were handed out to much applause and laughter and then everyone formed a line to say goodbye to her, though no one gathered their bags. Once farewells were complete, Aaron lifted her up and moved towards the door.

"Does anyone else think she scored the last true gentleman left in the world?" someone asked the room at large. Emily didn't hear the answer, but it didn't really matter to her.

"I do," she whispered softly as her eyes drifted closed.

Aaron grinned down at the woman in his arms, not surprised to find she'd already drifted off to sleep. He settled her in their bed and headed downstairs to see what needed to be done to tidy up and blinked as he came to a slow halt as the base of the stairs.

The sounds of dishes being washed while women chatted in the kitchen came from his right and the sounds of decorations being removed in the living room came from his left.

"Do you need anything?" JJ asked as she walked past with a stack of platters.

"Uh, I was going to ask if you needed any help from the guys to get everything tidied up here, but..."

JJ beamed a smile at him. "Everyone wanted to stay and help so you wouldn't have to do anything but look after Jack and Emily. So go enjoy a bit more time with the guys before we all get out of your hair."

Deciding that was wise advice, he nodded and turned down the hall to exit in the back patio.

"It sounds like it wrapped up faster than expected; is Emily alright? Do they need any help Hotch?"

He looked at Reid and shook his head as everyone turned to him.

"No," he said slowly. "The women in there are scarily efficient. The suggestion was that we stay here out of the way."

"Did they really say that?" Dave asked drily.

"Not in so many words, but it boiled down to it the more I thought of it."

They all chuckled. "What about Em?" Derek asked.

He shrugged and slipped his hands into his pockets. "She pushed herself a little too hard, but she's fine. I've tucked her in to bed and she knows she can just sleep for the rest of the day if that's what she wants."

Conversation returned to the topic they'd been on when he left to drop off his length of ribbon and continued until JJ poked her head out and said that everything was done.

"Thanks JJ. Em and I are really grateful to have had you on board with this whole thing. You made it doable for her and I know she'd give you the biggest hug if she was here."

"Don't worry about it Hotch. It wasn't a burden of any kind and seriously, if either of you need _anything_ at all in the next few months, I'm just a phone call away. Even to emergency babysitting Jack for as long as needed when the time comes."

"I know, and Emily does too, and I can only say thank you again."

The guys shifted to leave as well, and he walked them inside to see Pen giving the kitchen a last quick wipe-over with a cloth. He thanked her as well, and received happily a couple of rare hugs from the two beautiful blondes he knew he was blessed to work with. Then the last of the team left and he went on the hunt to find Jack, who had disappeared after saying goodbye to everyone.

He wasn't at all surprised to find his small son curled up on his bed, the little boy's body wrapped protectively around the curve of Emily's growing belly and tiny hands resting on her belly. He fetched his son's blanket and draped it over him, then with a huge yawn decided a nap wasn't such a bad idea.

_After all, no one is going to know but us, and they won't tell._

**End**

**A/N: Phew, done and dusted. Not quite as bubbly a finish as I wanted, but I imagine it must be so exhausting to grow just one baby inside of you, let alone dealing with three tiny lives plus your own, so it just seemed appropriate.**

**Please review and let me know what you think with the conveniently placed button right below this request. **


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